And It's Surely to Their Credit
President Bartlet's controversial -- and conservative -- new choice for associate White House counsel has rough sledding on her first day when she suffers the wrath of her hostile boss, gets a chilly reception from her co-workers and is humiliated by two other staffers. Also, when Josh's (Bradley Whitford) insurance company turns down his claim for his recent life-saving medical bills, Sam tries to convince him to sue the people who shot him. In addition, C.J. tries to shame an outspoken general, who is critical of the President, into meeting with her. http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/episode_guide/27.shtml Summary Cast Trivia Goofs Quotes :President Joisah Bartlet: Lionel Tribbey is a brilliant lawyer who we cannot live without. Or there would be very little reason not to put him in prison. :Ainsley Hayes: Lionel Tribbey thinks hiring me was a great idea. :Leo McGarry: Why are you surprised? :Ainsley Hayes: Well, because I am a Republican and Lionel Tribbey is... incredibly not. :Ainsley Hayes: So you lied to me just then. :Leo McGarry: I'm a politician, Ainsley. Of course I lied to you just then. :Ainsley Hayes: My first day is getting off to a great start. :Leo McGarry: I'll be honest with you. I didn't even know we had offices down here. :Ainsley Hayes: That bodes well for me. :Leo McGarry: I wonder what else we got down here. :Ainsley Hayes: Bats, probably? :Leo McGarry: It's written down here. This is the Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue. :Ainsley Hayes: I'm working in the Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue? :Leo McGarry: No, you're working in your office. :Ainsley Hayes: Well... Thank you for the help. :Leo McGarry: Ainsley, don't worry about Sam or Josh and Toby or C.J. or the Democrats on the hill or Republicans on television. You're here to serve the President. Anyway... welcome to the White House. :Ainsley Hayes: Mr. Tribbey? I'd like to do well on this, my first assignment. Any advice you could give me that might point me the way of success would be, by me, appreciated. :Lionel Tribbey, White House Counsel: pause Well, not speaking in iambic pentameter might be a step in the right direction. :Ainsley Hayes: Yeah. :Ainsley Hayes: The President's way too moderate for your taste. :Lionel Tribbey, White House Counsel: Excuse me? :Ainsley Hayes: On affirmative action, capital gains, public schools, free trade... You left a lucrative practice in Chicago and a seven-figure income. :beat :Ainsley Hayes: It wasn't out of a sense of duty? :Sam Seaborn: See, I was told you were just going to be working in the Majority Counsel's office, which I wasn't wild about to begin with, but it's my understanding I'd be talking to Brookline and Joyce seeing as how they work for me. :Ainsley Hayes: I was taking initiative. :Sam Seaborn: Well, wasn't that spunky of you. :Ainsley Hayes: Sam, do you think there's any chance that you could be rude to me tomorrow? Tomorrow is Saturday. I will be here. You can call me and be rude by phone or you can stop by and do it in person. 'Cause I think if I have to endure another disappointment today from this place that I have worshipped, I am gonna lose it. So if you could wait until tomorrow, I would appreciate it. :Sam Seaborn: Do you have any idea how big a harassment suit you just exposed us to? She just... She works here. Which is more than I can say for either one of you. :takes a pen and scribbles on Joyce's desk blotter as they watch. He holds it up: "You're fired - S. Seaborn" :Sam Seaborn: You're fired. S. Seaborn. :Mark Brookline: Sam, I don't know who you think you are around here, but you can't fire us. :Lionel Tribbey, White House Counsel: Oh... yes. He can. Leave here, and don't ever come back. It's time for both of you to write your book now. :President Josiah Bartlet: You know what I did, just then, that was stupid? I minimized the importance of the statue that was dedicated to Nellie Bly, an extraordinary woman to whom we all owe a great deal. :Abbey Bartlet: You don't know who she is, do you? :President Josiah Bartlet: himself This isn't happening to me. :Abbey Bartlet: She pioneered investigative journalism. :President Josiah Bartlet: Then she's the one I want to beat the crap out of. :Abbey Bartlet: She risked her life by having herself committed to a mental institution for ten days so she could write about it. She changed entirely the way we treat the mentally ill in this country. :President Josiah Bartlet: Yes. Abigail... :Abbey Bartlet: In 1890, she traveled around the world in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds, besting by more than one week, Jules Verne's 80 days. :President Josiah Bartlet: She sounds like an incredible woman abbey. I'm particularly impressed that she beat a fictional record. If she goes down 21 000 leagues under the sea, I'll name a damn school after her! Let's have sex. :Abbey Bartlet: When it comes to historical figures being memorialized in this country, women have been largely overlooked. Nellie Bly is just the tip of the iceberg. :President Josiah Bartlet: I couldn't possibly hear about the rest of the iceberg right now. :Abbey Bartlet: Elizabeth Blackwell was the first American woman to be awarded an MD. She founded the Women's Medical College... :President Josiah Bartlet: Keep talking. I'm just gonna sit here and think about plutonium and the things I can do with it. References "The West Wing" And It's Surely to Their Credit (2000) The West Wing Episode Guide Category:EpisodesCategory:Season 2